In new housing construction, drywall panels are predominately used for interior walls. Seams and corners where panels meet require finishing with tape or equivalent product, and drywall joint compound. Interior corners in particular can be problematic. Typically, joint compound, also called mud, is applied to the corner vicinity and a corner-finishing product is applied over it. Several such finishing products are available for use, such as a product known as straight-flex, or paper tape, or the like.
Typically the interior corner vicinity is prepared for the receipt of such a product with a prior application of joint compound. The joint compound is applied using pressure-operated equipment that feeds joint compound under pressure to an applicator tool. An example of such pressure equipment is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,925 to Denkins et al issued Mar. 9, 1999. An example of a prior art applicator tool is a rigid block design with a square exterior corner that fits into the 90xc2x0 interior corner. The mud applying surfaces have openings for discharge of mud onto adjacent corner surfaces of the drywall panels. The usefulness of this applicator tool diminishes greatly in direct proportion to the variance of the corner from 90xc2x0. Yet frequently for aesthetic or other reasons, a corner is formed that is much greater than 90xc2x0.
The present invention comprises a tool for the application of joint compound or mud, derived from pressure equipment, to interior corners during drywall installation. The tool can be used in conjunction with pressure equipment such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,925. The tool has a diamond shaped head that is relatively low in profile. The head has two leading edges substantially perpendicular to one another. The head has a flat bottom surface and a top surface that joins the bottom surface at the head edges. The top surface slopes away from the bottom surface forming a housing having an interior chamber for receipt of joint compound under pressure from the supply equipment. Front facing discharge openings or ports are located on the housing a short distance aft of the leading edges. The aft section of the head has a neck that connects to a flexible hose connector that in turn connects to the pressurized mud supply.
The tool head has a flat profile shaped to fit into an interior corner that is 90xc2x0 or greater. In preparation for applying mud to the corner, the head is placed against the corner and tilted. One of the leading edges of the head confronts each wall. The tool is tilted in a direction so that the discharge ports face the corner. The tool is tilted to a degree necessary so that the leading edges engage the walls adjacent to the corner. The greater the angle between the walls, the greater the amount of tilt on the head in order that the leading edges engage the adjacent walls. Compound is discharged to the corner vicinity and troweled by the leading edges as the tool is moved along the corner.
The head is attached to the pressure equipment by a flexible hose segment to facilitate manipulating the head in corners. The hose segment can have a coil spring wrapped about it to maintain preferred resiliency.